Winter destination Zermatt wins its second sustainability award

27/11/2013

For the second consecutive time, Zermatt has been voted most sustainable winter destination in Switzerland. The ‘Verkehrsclub der Schweiz’ (VCS), the Swiss Cycling Club, presented Zermatt with the “Mobil & ökologisch” award (mobile and ecologic) for a number of reasons, chief among them the Matterhorn village’s convenient accessibility by public transport.

“This award confirms once again that the consistent efforts our car-free village puts into offering visitors a sustainable holiday destination have been successful”, explains Daniel Luggen, Director of Zermatt Tourism, adding that “the award also stands as proof that even major destinations, such as Zermatt, can offer sustainable tourism.”The VCS assessed 25 holiday destinations in terms of sustainable mobility. At the award ceremony in Bern on 27 November 2013, the first prize was presented to Zermatt and Scuol, which came in neck and neck with the same number of points. The VCS assessed the destinations’ accessibility by public transport, local transport conditions and the quality of the information available to car-less visitors.

Convenient bus schedule

“Save the Snow”, the VCS campaign magazine, lists the rankings of the 25 holiday destinations. Aside from its accessibility by public transport, the car-free Zermatt also received high scores for its convenient winter bus schedule. The price of the bus tickets is included in the ski pass. The experts were also impressed by the fact that Zermatt’s ski buses run every 8 to 10 minutes.